Which Way, L.A.?

Hybrid Lane Legislation

Hybrid cars may use less gasoline than other vehicles, but they cause just as much traffic congestion. Is there room in high-occupancy vehicle lanes for hybrids with solo drivers? Governor Schwarzenegger, who loves his Hummer, says there is, so he's backing a new law to permit solo drivers of hybrid vehicles to use car-pool lanes on California-s freeways. That alarms some transportation experts, who say car-pool lanes are already becoming over-crowded. Is there a conflict between clean air and the free-flow of traffic? Warren Olney finds out, in a conversation with a transportation expert from UC Berkeley and the head of the California Environmental Protection Agency. Making News: California Fire Update There-s good news and bad news on the local fire scene today. Some blazes are under control, while others are flaring up. Charles Bostwick, editor of the Antelope Valley edition of the Daily News, has an update. Reporter-s Notebook: California Prison System Takeover A federal judge who-s had long experience with inmate abuse said yesterday he may order a takeover of California-s state prison system. Judge Thelton Henderson says the Governor has failed to produce promised reforms, and that Schwarzenegger-s recent salary negotiation with prison guards has only made matters worse. UC Berkeley Law Professor Frank Zimring, a veteran student of prison practices, has more.